Questions tagged [canonization]

In Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglicans Churches, the process by which a person is declared a saint.

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How is St. Maria Goretti a martyr?

St. Maria Goretti was stabbed several times for her refusal to consent to sin against purity; Alessandro Serenelli, her "would-be rapist" (ch. 25 of Modern Saints: Their Lives and Faces vol. ...
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Are Catholic Canonizations Infallible?

As a generalization to the question posed in Is the Catholic declaration of an extra biblical saint infallible?, and in hope of obtaining, perhaps, more definitive answers from a Catholic perspective, ...
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What is the meaning of a Catholic Saint being "Raised to the Altar"?

For example, in entry (150) of her Diary, St. Faustina relates the following from a mystical conversation she had with St. Therese of Lisieux: "Dear sweet Therese, tell me, shall I go to heaven?&...
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Extent to which Thomas à Kempis is venerated in the Catholic Church?

According to Wikipedia Thomas à Kempis, the presumed author of The Imitation of Christ, is venerated in the Catholic Church. I surmise that his cause for canonization must have been brought up at ...
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On the Canonization of St. Poeman the Great and the Origin of His Epithet?

Often quoted in the "Sayings or the Desert Fathers," St. Poeman is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as some of the Eastern Orthodox churches. QUESTION: Was St. Poeman ever ...
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Has the Catholic Church ever canonized a trans-gender person with the full knowledge of his/her true gender identity?

We read in Mtt 19:12: For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the ...
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Can a lay person or a group of lay faithful petition the Pope (Vatican) to de-canonize a Saint in light of new findings?

To be specific, I am talking about numerous views recently circulated in different articles saying the Sainthood of Pope St. John Paul II is questionable in light of the findings stated in the ...
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What would a person need to be able to do to be a saint while he was yet alive?

Normally, sainthood isn't formally considered for an individual until 5 years after the death of a person. If one was determined enough, how could they go about achieving becoming saints and perhaps ...
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Where can we find the official records of canonizations?

Famous Catholic saints are often surrounded by various popular beliefs. Or sometime there is little that is actually known about the life of a saint (e.g. we don't seem to know that much about Thomas ...
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What is the official status of the person of Philomena who at one time was liturgically canonized by Pope Gregory XVI?

What is the official status of the person of Philomena who at one time was “liturgically canonized” by Pope Gregory XVI and not officially canonized? What are the physical, archeological and ...
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Do any Christian denominations consider Pontius Pilate as a saint?

Do any Christian denominations consider Pontius Pilate a recognized saint, either by canonization or through tradition?
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Has Peter Lombard ever been venerated in the Catholic Church?

Peter Lombard was allegedly one of the most important theologians of the Middle Ages. As Wikipedia states, he was: Bishop of Paris, and author of Four Books of Sentences, which became the standard ...
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Have any married couples been canonized at the same time?

There are countless saints in the Catholic Church, and while many of them have been celibate, some have been married (e.g. Thomas More, Elizabeth Ann Seaton). Have any married couples been canonized ...
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Was St. John Vianney the first parish priest to become canonized?

I saw a local play about the life of St.John Vianney (1786–1859). One of the characters noted that in over 1800 years of Catholic history, a parish priest had never become a saint (to which another ...
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Is Gertrude the Great's mariology considered erroneous in modern Catholicism?

Gertrude the Great (1256–1302) was a German nun who is recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church, but was never formally canonized. I don't know if it's related, but apparently her views on ...
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Is the Catholic declaration of an extra biblical saint infallible?

Is the canonization of a person not found in the Bible (for example, Thomas Aquinas) an infallible decision? By this I mean that their sainthood can never be denied by any of the faithful without ...
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Who was the first Devil's Advocate?

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the Devil's Advocate (Advocatus Diaboli) was: [a] popular title given to one of the most important officers of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, established ...
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Are there non-medical miracles that can get a person beatified/canonized?

It seems like every miracle that is used in the case for beatification in the Catholic Church has to do with some sickness being prayed for and its miraculous cure. But it seems to me that there are ...
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Are there any Antipope Saints aside from Hippolytus of Rome?

Have any antipopes other than Antipope Hippolytus of Rome ever been canonized as saints by the Roman Catholic Church?
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Does the Russian Orthodox Church venerate the saints of the Orthodox Church in America?

After the Russian Revolution, the Orthodox Church in America became nominally independent of the mother church. The OCA has since canonized saints who lived in Russian America such as German and Petr (...
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What were the specific changes to the canonization process introduced in 1983?

I understand that in 1983, the canonization process was changed via the document Divinus Perfectionis Magister. I see from Wikipedia that the role of Promoter of the Faith (a.k.a. Devil's Advocate) ...
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What were the three miracles that St. Stephen performed to be canonized?

Why was saint Stephen canonized? I know that you have to perform three miracles to be canonized, but I don't know what his were.
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Does canonisation make one more meritorious before God?

To my understanding, Catholics pray to quite a few saints, and not just to any deceased laity, and all of which special saints doubtlessly are canonised. Does canonisation make a saint meritorious ...
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Has there ever been a saint who has had their sainthood revoked due to falsification of their life details or the miracles leading to canonization?

Has there ever been a person who has been canonized as a saint, but later had their sainthood revoked because irrefutable evidence came to light that the person was not the upstanding Christian that ...
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What miracles were performed during the beatification and canonization processes of Mother Teresa?

Mother Teresa was recently recognized as a Saint. The process of canonization (becoming a saint) involves the performing of a miracle. From Wikipedia: If the Venerable was not a martyr—all non-...
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Who is the most recent saint recognized by both the Catholic and the Orthodox churches?

Both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches recognize certain individuals as saints—particularly holy individuals who are believed to be in Heaven. The most famous saints become popular ...
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Why is incorruptibility of saints' relics used as proof of their sanctity?

Why is the notion of incorruptibility advanced by some Catholics and some Orthodox when determining the corruptibility or incorruptibility of a saint's relics has never been a part of the ...
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According to the Catholic Church, how did Paul become a saint?

In the eyes of the Catholic Church how did Saint Paul become a saint? Was it the encounter with Jesus that made him a saint? Or was it something different? Please answer exactly where he became one, ...
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Has a Pope ever secretly canonized a saint?

We know that at certain times a Pope has created a cardinal of the Catholic Church "in pectore" (in the heart). This simply means that the Pope, in creating a cardinal in such circumstances, chooses ...
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What things led to the canonization of Thomas More? [duplicate]

Besides his martyrdom, what were some specific things that led to the canonization of Thomas More?
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Why does the Catholic Church require miracles for someone to be canonized?

Why does someone have to have a miracle (or two) attributed to them before they can officially become a Saint? Why isn't clear evidence of a righteous lifestyle enough?
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Why can the Catholic Church declare one person a saint but has never declared another damned?

The Catholic Church has a process to canonize someone, to declare that they are a saint, that they are truly in heaven and worthy of public veneration and imitation. (Cf. Canonization - United ...
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Is there a sense in which Stephen was the first Catholic saint? [closed]

I was told that St. Stephen was the first saint but read that Ulrich of Augsburg was the first to be officially canonized. Chronologically, however, shouldn't Joseph or John the Baptist be the first ...
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Why are there so many modern saints?

Seems every man and his dog is qualifying for sainthood these days. Pope John Paul II canonised 483 saints, more saints than in the last 500 years. Is this because modern science has advanced to ...
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Have any real people been de-canonized?

People can be canonized (declared to be saints) and these official declarations are held to be infallible. Some people might be considered saints because of popular devotion, without being actually ...
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Do Catholics refer to all martyrs as Saints?

At first I was thinking the only requirement to be canonized was to be killed for your faith. Is this accurate? How is someone deemed a Saint as opposed to a martyr in Catholicism?
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Why was Thomas More canonized?

Thomas More was canonized in 1935 by the Catholic Church. During his chancellorship between 1525-1529 in the campaign against the reformation people were killed and tortured in his name, for example, ...
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Why does the Roman Catholic Church consider beatification of the pope?

If the pope is infallible, than what significance does beautifying and canonizing him have? They did both to Pope John Paul II, but it seems odd that the Church wants to make him a saint, unless I am ...
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